Combating the Opioid Epidemic

After holding community discussions across the state with treatment providers, local law enforcement, and the families who have lost loved ones, Tammy helped lead successful efforts to push Washington to finally step-up and support Wisconsin’s fight against the opioid epidemic.

Bipartisan Action to Invest in Wisconsin’s Opioid Fight

The opioid epidemic knows no political party and it will take bipartisan action to address this crisis. That’s why Tammy worked across party lines to pass bipartisan legislation that made major investments in local treatment, recovery, and prevention efforts.

Tammy sponsored the bipartisan Comprehensive Addiction and Recovery Act (CARA), which was signed into law as a critical first step to promote a community-based response to opioid and heroin addiction. Tammy followed up by helping pass the bipartisan 21st Century Cures Act. During negotiations on the bill, Tammy worked with both Democrats and Republicans to secure a $1 billion emergency investment to combat the epidemic.

Working across party lines, Tammy pushed Washington to step up and made sure Wisconsin received a fair share of federal funding for our fight against this epidemic. One year after visiting the NorthLakes Community Clinic in Ashland, Tammy returned to announce new funding to expand the facility and strengthen its efforts to combat the opioid epidemic. Tammy has also helped secure investments in other communities across the state, including a grant for Kenosha County to help foster new ways to connect overdose survivors with those who can help.

Halting Illicit Fentanyl

In recent years, fentanyl, a narcotic 30 to 50 times stronger than heroin, has ravaged Wisconsin causing a dramatic spike in overdose deaths. In response, Tammy has worked to stop the illicit drug from entering the United States.

Tammy joined the bipartisan INTERDICT Act to help Customs and Border Protection stop the flow of fentanyl from China and Mexico and then worked to push the legislation through Congress and deliver it to President Trump’s desk to be signed into law. The bipartisan law will protect Wisconsin communities like Milwaukee County, which has faced over 200% increases in fentanyl-related overdoses in multiple years.